Inside Out 2
Scorecard, Are those snakes on the plane?, Benoit is back, we have cool friends.
If Sony and Alamo Drafthouse can link up, then the Sweet & Condensed crew and the Home Roomie crew can link up. This week, we were joined by Annie and Zolly who helped us with this week’s score card. The future of cinema is collaboration 🤝.
Here’s what we have for you this week:
Concession Stand Scorecard (with special guests!): Inside Out 2
Temp These Takes: The best movies set on a plane
Watchlist Worthy: This cast has as many all-stars as the Women’s Olympic Basketball team
Friends We Recommend: Check out our homies over at Home Roomies
This week’s movie - “Inside Out 2”
Letterboxd Description:
MAKE ROOM FOR NEW EMOTIONS.
Teenager Riley’s mind headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she’s not alone.
Best Watched With
Annie - Lexapro users (shout-out), the entire fam, and anyone in between.
Zolly - An unburdened mind. If you had a high-anxiety day… maybe try again later.
S&C Crew - Family, your kids, Home Roomies, and that friend who knows you the best and you are able to process those intense emotions with and have a therapy session on the drive home.
End credit thoughts
Annie - I’m surprised to say that Inside Out 2 is one of the best Pixar films in a while. The addition of Anxiety as a character hits close to home, evoking personal reflections akin to therapy sessions. While the film succeeds in capturing emotional depth, some elements fall short compared to its predecessor. The moment-to-moment dialogue feels less polished, lacking the tightness of the original. The plot within Riley’s mind mirrors that of the first film, detracting from its novelty. Despite these drawbacks, Inside Out 2 still managed to get me choked up.
Zolly - My therapy sessions in big-eyed, felty colors. There is a point, around 2/3 in, where I was hyper tuned in; less to the film and more to myself. I left with wet eyes and a weighty awareness of my own self-doubt and inner work, present and future. Inside Out 2 showcases how taxing existence is and how powerful and simple it might be to have peace.
S&C Crew - It’s no easy task to follow up Inside Out with any animated movie, let alone a sequel, and though it didn’t feel as profound as the first one, it stuck the landing giving us more of the world in our minds and tears to wipe up.
The new emotions introduced were relatable and familiar, some toooooo familiar (hello, Anxiety). Speaking of Anxiety, Mia Hawke’s performance is a highlight of the movie and further builds her case that some nepo babies deserve the lime light. The other newcomers Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui were bullseyes but we wanted to see more from them than we were given.
There is a crash course on the emotions and how they influence Riley so you could watch this without watching the first one. FWIW, New Mexico Drew’s young kids said they liked it “a little bit more than the first one.”
All in all, Pixar pictures are usually worth the price of admission, and Inside Out 2 holds that line. Go see it on the big screen.
The best movie that takes place on a plane
Kelly
I’m not sure what’s worse…a flight or a cruise…both have my anxiety levels spiking because you are essentially trapped. You cannot go anywhere. Which is why Red Eye (2005) is a perfect set up for a scary/thriller movie. I love a good “I can do it myself” trope instead of going to convenient authorities (🥱) Rachel McAdams fights back like a trained killer in the second half and in the end, everything is tied up with a nice little bow on it. This movie on top of Home Alone (1990) may of given me the false confidence that if anyone were to enter my home I could “McAdams/McCallister booby trap” them right into the graveyard 🪦.
Eric
Best plane movie: Catch Me If You Can (2002) Now before you come for me - hear me OUT. I know I'm probably abusing the flexibility of our takes/topics with this one, but this movie sort of kind of centers around a plane? Right? Right? Bueller? The scene that immediately came to mind was lil Frank's first day as a "PanAm pilot" when he is in the cockpit behind the pilots unable to find the seat when the flight attendant comes in, sets it up for him, then asks what he wants to drink. He proceeds to skittishly request "milk." An all-timer line. This movie ROCKS. Prime Leo. Prime Hanks. And prime airport/plane fun.
Josh
I might be a colonial woman going out on a limb (wing) here but my favorite movie that takes place on a plane is Bridesmaids (2011). LINDA LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN. Does the whole movie take place on a plane? No. Is there a plane scene that is absolutely pivotal for the plot and direction of the overall story for the better? Absolutely. If they made it to Vegas, we have another version of The Hangover (2009). The plane scene is not only one of the most quotable scenes of it's decade, it keeps this movie original and fresh. And the fact they made a bridesmaids movie WITHOUT a bachelorette party AND STILL hilarious and unhinged and a perfect movie is quite the feat. The defense rests.
New Mexico Drew
This is the second time Con Air (1997) has appeared in this newsletter, and honestly, I hope I get fifty more excuses to write about it. This probably explains a lot about why I am the way I am, but I would watch this movie almost weekly as a kid. I wanted to be long haired, under shirt donning Nic Cage so bad. I could say a lot more, but I'll just leave this cast list to do the heavy lifting for me: Nic Cage, John Malkovich, Steve Buscemi, Ving Rhames, Dave Chappelle, Danny Trejo...and John Cusack is also in it (don't hold that against me).
What’s your take? Hit Reply or leave a comment below and let us know!
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery directed by Rian Johnson
*Incoming hipster comment warning*
I’ve been following Rian Johnson since his first film Brick (2005)–shoutout to my college roommate Dominic for forcing me to watch it, which I thought was weird but cool as hell–and he’s been damn consistent since. My personal favorite of his movies is Looper (2012) (Joseph Gordon-Levitt with a Bruce Willis upper lip prosthetic is 🤌), but the Knives Out franchise is, what we call around here, a good time.
I’ve been in some verbal sparring matches already with other members of the crew over this, but I argue this is the most stacked cast to date (👆just look at them). That, and as the undefeated internet has pointed out, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) looks like he’s about to help Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark win the Hunger Games. We hope Netflix gives Wake Up Deadman a theatrical release like they did Glass Onion, but no matter where we are watching, we are excited.
-NMD
Letterboxd Description:
Benoit Blanc returns in his most dangerous case yet.
Other movies directed by Rian Johnson:
Glass Onion (2022)
Knives Out (2019)
Looper (2012)
Home Roomies
Our friends, Annie and Zolly, have a really fun YouTube channel that we can’t recommend enough. Check out the description and their first video below. Be sure to sub to their channel and show them love!
About Home Roomies - One part nostalgia, one part comedy. We’re Annie and Zolly, two friends laughing at the obscure TV, media and movies we grew up watching.
Episode One - Join us on a journey back in time to the confusing and compelling world of "Kid Nation," the illegal reality TV “experiment” that captivated audiences with its unique premise. In this video essay, we dive deep into the fascinating dynamics of a naturally vulnerable group of people, children, left to govern themselves in a deserted town. From its controversial challenges to its producer-led drama, we breakdown the entire season of "Kid Nation" and make the case for the right to call it “The Greatest Reality TV Show Ever”.
Three Milk Media Podcasts:
🎙️ Living A Stream: Apple Podcasts and Spotify
🎙️ The Medium Project: Apple Podcasts and Spotify
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